Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Posted by Geri Gentry on Jul 15th, 2026

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA – Get Free Report)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $112.32, but opened at $117.40. Alibaba Group shares last traded at $120.8310, with a volume of 5,909,162 shares changing hands.

Alibaba Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

Positive Sentiment: Apple received approval to launch its AI features in China with Alibaba’s Qwen model integrated into Apple Intelligence, creating a high-profile partnership that could boost Alibaba’s AI adoption and cloud/services revenue. Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares rise 4% after Qwen AI set to be integrated in Apple Intelligence
Positive Sentiment: News that Alibaba’s Qwen AI will power Apple Intelligence experiences in China reinforced optimism that Alibaba is becoming a more important AI player, which has helped lift sentiment around BABA shares. Alibaba shares jump as China clears Apple’s Qwen-powered AI system
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to frame Alibaba as a high-upside stock, but this appears secondary to the Apple/Qwen approval news driving the move today. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA): 12 Strong Buy Stocks with High Upside According to Analysts
Negative Sentiment: Separate legal-investigation headlines from law firms may create some overhang for investors, although they are not the main driver of the stock’s current strength. Rosen Law Firm Encourages Alibaba Group Holding Limited Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation – BABA

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on BABA shares. Zacks Research upgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. HSBC set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.90.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $118.10 and a 200 day moving average of $135.83. The company has a market capitalization of $286.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 4.76% and a net margin of 10.31%.The business had revenue of $35.30 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alibaba Group news, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total transaction of $68,364,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 28,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,658,600. This trade represents a 96.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Siying Yu sold 6,772 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total transaction of $81,941.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 607,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,347,531.40. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 920,303 shares of company stock valued at $70,796,370 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,407,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 426 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. TrueWealth Financial Partners grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. TrueWealth Financial Partners now owns 4,361 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,418 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its position in Alibaba Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Alibaba Group

(Get Free Report)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.